1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bedding support devices and, more particularly, to a device for elevating a blanket or bed covering away from the feet of a bed occupant.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many reasons why a bed occupant may desire a device that elevates bed covers from resting against his or her feet. For some, the weight of the bedding aggravates suffering due to common foot ailments. Burn victims, for example, cannot have even the lightest of coverings touching their skin without extreme pain. And yet, for others—those that share their bed with their beloved domesticated pet such as a dog or cat—there is a desire to provide ample air space and room for the pet to burrow comfortably yet maintain the cover over the lower extremity of the human user.
In fact, there are ample attempts to provide a device for elevating covers from an occupant's feet. One exemplary device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,403 issued to Elliot on 28 Dec. 2004, discloses a tubular frame member adapted to insert between a top mattress and box spring common to modern beds. Elliot teaches a rigid, non-folding frame having a width of the substantially less than the width of the mattress and must be inserted under the end of the mattress and its use is limited to one occupant of the bed. The rigid frame does not collapse into a compact shape suitable for shipping, transportation or storage and moreover, the Elliot device does not self-assemble from a collapsed position using an internal elastic member.
Another attempt to provide an improved support device for bedding includes the “Bedclothes Support Assembly” of Choate disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,159 issued on 21 Nov. 2006. Therein a series of tubular segments coupled by rounded elbows link together to form a frame having a pair of vertical arms supporting a horizontal member and a C-shaped base. One shortcoming of the Choate device is a lack of self-assembly means and an overly cumbersome base portion to provide sufficient stability for the upper horizontal member. It would be beneficial to have a simpler design with fewer components and arranging the components in a manner with means for self-assembly.
A simpler approach, a “Blanket Support Assembly” by Warrington et al. disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,616 includes two vertical arms connecting a single horizontal member. However the arms require a support mechanism that is anchored to the bed frame. When not in use, Warrington teaches rotating the horizontal member and linking arms to the foot of the bed. This approach does not dis-assemble when not in use, does not fold to a compact size for storage or shipping, and must be coupled to a bed frame for structural rigidity. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an improved structure that could be taken apart for storage and shipping and further, not require mechanical coupling to a bed frame for the required rigidity.
Yet another representative cover support for a bed includes the disclosure of Dilascio in U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,615 issued on 24 May 2005. Dilascio discloses a segmented horizontal arm coupled to a pair of vertical uprights, each upright inserting into a sleeve, the sleeve mounted to an inverted U-shaped plate and a flat, elongated member connecting the two inverted u-shaped plates. This design, does not self-assembly and requires the mattress weight to retain its upright stance. Therefore, it would be beneficial for an improved structure to be self-standing.
Despite attempts in the art to provide a frame suited for supporting covers while installed over a mattress, there remains yet a need for an improved cover-supporting frame that not only adapts for use for a myriad of bed widths and heights and for different sized users but also is easy and economical to manufacture, be assembled in such a way to enable a tool-free and an error-free means of assembly by the end user yet collapse to varying compact sizes when not in use. It would be desirable to have a self-assembling frame support that is both light-weight yet rigid.